'anticyclogenesis' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'anti-' (meaning 'against' or 'opposite'), 'kyklos' (meaning 'circle' or 'ring'), and 'genesis' (meaning 'origin' or 'creation').

'anticyclogenesis' was coined in modern scientific English (via New Latin/International scientific vocabulary) by combining Greek roots; it entered meteorological usage as a technical term without a distinct medieval English ancestor.

Initially constructed from components meaning 'opposite circle' or 'opposing circulation origin', it has come to mean specifically 'the formation or strengthening of an area of high atmospheric pressure (an anticyclone)'.